Mauer at ease in debut at first base

[Marty]

Mauer at ease in debut at first base
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com | 07/08/11 12:06 AM ET

 

CHICAGO -- It sure didn't take long for Joe Mauer to show off his defensive abilities at first base in his first big league start at the position on Thursday against the White Sox.

Mauer snagged a line drive from Omar Vizquel on just the fourth pitch of the bottom of the first inning after a Juan Pierre single, and tagged first base for an unassisted double play. And just two batters later, Adam Dunn grounded out to first, as Mauer recorded all three outs in the inning.

It was simply a sign of what was to come for Mauer, who looked like a natural at first base in the Twins' 6-2 win over the White Sox, fielding every ball hit to him cleanly and scooping two bounced throws.

"I'm glad it's over with," Mauer said with a smile. "I think that first inning was good for me personally, to get some balls hit at me. I had a lot of fun tonight. My teammates were supporting me and it was a lot of fun. It's good to see the smiles and get the win."

Mauer, who also went 3-for-5 with three singles and two RBIs, certainly impressed Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who added he wasn't surprised that Mauer made such a smooth transition from his usual catcher position.

"He was pretty comfortable," Gardenhire said. "He was having fun. It was just a matter of getting over the nerves. But he had a couple shots right at him and caught them, and everybody was high-fiving him. He really enjoyed it."

Mauer, who started taking ground balls at first base during batting practice on June 27, hadn't played the position since appearing in one game there with Class A Fort Myers in 2003. He last saw extended time at first back when he played 13 games there with Class A Quad Cities in 2002.

But Mauer, using a glove borrowed from Michael Cuddyer, showed he could handle a range of plays, as he made a few nice plays on hard-hit grounders, while also scooping up throws from third baseman Danny Valencia and shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

"I'm sure Joe was a little nervous, but none of us were," right-hander Carl Pavano said. "We knew what kind of an athlete Joe is. As soon as that bell rang, every bit of his anxiety went away and you could see it. He made some great plays."

Mauer, though, reiterated he's still the club's catcher, and said he's not sure how much first base he'll play moving forward.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to Gardy about that yet," Mauer said.

"I went over there to try to help the team. If they need me in the future, I won't hesitate to do that. ... We'll see what [my knees] feel like tomorrow. They asked me to go over there and play, and that's what I did tonight. I'm a catcher, and sometimes we lose track of that.

MRI reveals good news for Baker
CHICAGO -- The Twins received good news on right-hander Scott Baker after an MRI conducted on Wednesday revealed only a mild right flexor muscle strain and no ligament damage.

Baker, who left Tuesday's start after just five innings and 62 pitches, will still miss his next turn in the rotation on Sunday as a precaution. Right-hander Anthony Swarzak will get the start instead.

"It showed a mild flexor strain," Twins trainer Rick McWane said of the MRI. "Everything looks good. To be cautious with him, he won't start Sunday, but he'll be re-evaluated after the All-Star break."

Baker's injury was originally called a mild elbow strain, but it was actually found to be his flexor muscle connecting his forearm to his elbow.

Baker, who is expected to return to the rotation after the All-Star break, finished the first half of the season with a staff-leading 3.01 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 110 2/3 innings.

With Capps struggling, closer's spot undefined
CHICAGO -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said following Wednesday's 12-5 loss to the Rays that right-hander Joe Nathan would've served as closer if there would have been a save situation, but gave no indication on Thursday about who would be his closer moving forward.

Right-hander Matt Capps has struggled recently in that role, failing to convert a save in each of his last three opportunities. After blowing his sixth save of the year on Saturday night, Capps couldn't finish the ninth inning on Sunday or Tuesday. Left-hander Glen Perkins came on in relief and picked up the first two saves of his career.

"We've got a closer, but as I've told you, when that gate opens, you'll know who will close," Gardenhire said. "I'm not going to name anyone. We're going to do what's best right now. We're going to try to get Cappy in a [non-save] situation. If we have to use everybody to get to the ninth and Cappy is up in the ninth, he'll end up in the ninth. So we're going to work it the best we can."

Gardenhire also reiterated that he's just hoping to give Capps a breather after his recent struggles, and believes he'll turn it around.

"He's a really good pitcher with really good stuff," Gardenhire said. "He has a really good track record. So we'll get him back where we need him to. It's just a little bump in the road."

Capps looked impressive in a non-save situation in Thursday's 6-2 win over the White Sox, throwing a scoreless ninth inning.

"He needed to get in there in a non-save situation and go after hitters, and he did," Gardenhire said. "He threw the ball over the plate and the ball had some life to it. You had to do that to get him rolling. We just have to get him right, and that's a good start."

Span takes BP, continues to progress
CHICAGO -- Center fielder Denard Span, on the disabled list with a concussion, suffered on June 3, made the trip to Chicago and took batting practice prior to Thursday's game against the White Sox.

It marked the second time Span hit outdoors, having also taken batting practice on Tuesday at Target Field. It's been an encouraging sign, as Twins trainer Rick McWane said Span has had "three real good days in a row" and will continue to work out U.S. Cellular Field this weekend.

"He had a good day," McWane said. "He took BP early and ran around. He looked good, so we're happy with the way he's doing right now."

Delmon Young, meanwhile, was scheduled to start in left field with Triple-A Rochester on Thursday and play seven innings. Young, on the disabled list since June 26 with a sprained right foot, entered Thursday's game hitting .267 with a homer and two doubles in four games as the designated hitter with the Red Wings.

Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Bollinger Beat, and follow him on Twitter @RhettBollinger. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

Marty Hinrichs

mntwins...@yahoo.com